Road Trip!
by Shooting Pine
Summary: Dipper and Mabel are taking a road trip with their grunkles to investigate paranormal hot spots. So this should be a totally uneventful road trip. Yup. Nothing is going to happen. Nothing to see here. (Just kidding, it's going to be CRAZY!)
1. Whoooooooooo! Road Trip!

**Alright! So I have some good ideas for where this story is going, and I was really proud, because I looked at the paranormal activity map in my copy of Journal 3 and tried to pinpoint where each hot spot was approximately located. So the destinations are actual paranormal spots (At least according to Ford). But I know that I'm not going to have an endless supply of mysteries and monsters, sooooooooooooo . . . Comment and give me ideas! If there's a monster that you really want to see in a story, than say so. Now let's get this party started!**

Dipper Pines crashes through a window, the glass shards opening numerous new wounds. He doesn't take time to catch his breath though, he is immediately back on his feet and running, sprinting as fast as he can to get away from the monstrosity following him. He trips, as all people in dramatic chase scenes do, on empty air, and falls hard onto the wooden floor of the nightmarish house that he is attempting to escape. He tries to rise, but shouts in pain, and collapses back onto the floor. He looks at his ankle and feels a wave of nausea hit him. It is twisted at an unnatural angle. Broken. He can hear his pursuer coming closer, its feet pounding on the floor, its rank odor announcing its presence. He tries desperately to crawl away, but to no avail. He can sense it now, standing over him. He closes his eyes and tries to shut out the terror. Dipper can feel cold air freeze the room, and turns around to face a swirling ball of darkness, seeming to absorb all the light in the room. It speaks one word, in a surprisingly light tone.

"Dipper."

"Go away!" Dipper pushes his hands into the air, as if he can make the monster disappear.

"Dip-Dip!"

"Please!"

"Dipping sauce!" The voice taunts him.

"I'm begging you!"

"Wake up!" The monster reaches out for him.

Dipper's eyes shoot open, his body drenched in sweat from his nightmare.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Mabel's face hangs over his, her smile unnaturally wide. "Mabel, what are you doing?"

"Come on Dipper, you know what day it is!" Mabel says happily, her smile growing even more impossibly wide.

"Is it mom or dad's birthday?" Dipper asks, now calming down after realizing that his nightmare was not real.

"No silly, I have no idea when their birthdays are! Today is the first day of our road trip!" Mabel shouts.

Dipper's eyes grow wide. "That's today?"

"Yeah!" Mabel begins to bounce up and down on the bed. "And Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford are picking us up in 30 minutes! I hope you're packed!"

Dipper gets out of bed to reveal that he slept with his outfit for the day on. "I was joking Mabel. Of course I know today is road trip day. I've been waiting for this for months!"

"Then I assume you're already packed?" Mabel asks.

"I've been packed for weeks." Both Mabel and Dipper's attention are pulled away from their conversation to the sound of an engine in the driveway. Mabel runs up to the window and looks out. "They're here Dipper!"

"They're a little early." Dipper says.

"But we're both ready, right?"

Dipper smiles. "Oh yeah."

Later, after goodbyes are said and hugs are exchanged, Dipper and Mabel walk into the driveway and are greeted by the same RV that they took on their ill-fated journey through the tourist traps of Oregon. Both of their grunkles walk behind them.

"You see?" Ford says smugly. "With as many PhDs as I have, even your school was happy to let you take an educational trip.

"Not that there will be much education going on!" Grunkle Stan laughs.

"No Stanley. I promised Dipper and Mabel's parents that I would give them education on this road trip, and I will!" Ford says firmly.

Both Dipper and Mabel's faces fall.

"But I assure you, we are still going to some amazing and wondrous places!" Ford says quickly. "I have planned this road trip through the heart of numerous weirdness hotspots!"

"Yes!" Dipper grins happily. "More paranormal investigations!"

"Yeah, yeah." Stan says. "Now let's get this road trip started!"

He takes the twins' bags and throws them into the RV. Inside, a familiar face grabs them and stows them away.

"Sup dudes."

"Wendy!" both twins shout.

"Yeah, I got out of school same as you, for an educational road trip." She make quotation marks with her fingers at educational. "Soos is here too. He got Old Man McGucket to run the Shack while he's gone.

"Whoooooohoooooooo! This here is the best fake creature I ever did see! Oh wait, did I say fake?" Old Man McGucket slaps his thigh. "Oops. Well here's a real attraction!" He whistles and a pterodactyl flies in and lands on top of the Shack, causing the tourists to run screaming. "Yup, that's gonna' cause some damage. Good thing I'm rich now!" McGucket laughs, and spits into a gold spittoon.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Dipper asks.

"Dipper!" Mabel scolds him. "He's a genius! What can he possibly do wrong?"

"I don't know, destroy the Shack?"

Soos leans his head in behind Wendy's. "I regret nothing!"

"Fine, fine."

"Alright, you kids ready?" Stan asks from behind them.

"Yeah!"

"Then let's go."

Both twins step into the RV, ready for adventure.


	2. The Stone Garden

"Alright." Ford says, glancing at his road map. "Our first stop is going to be Northwest Nevada. There is a fair amount of paranormal activity in that area, and I think that we can also make a few stops at the mountains to brush up on your geography!"

Mabel and Dipper both groan and sink farther into the seat. "Is that all this trip is going to be Grunkle Ford? Education?" Mabel asks.

"Did I mention the paranormal activity?" Ford says, trying to raise their spirits.

"Cheer up you guys." Wendy chuckles. "We're only an hour into the road trip and you're already complaining! Besides, think about all the adventures we're going to have, all the mysteries to solve!"

Wendy's words catch both twins excitement. "Yeah!" Dipper holds up his journal. "I've still got to fill up my journal!"

"And I've got some major scrapbooking to do." Mabel says, completely serious.

"Well you've got a lot of time to do it!" Grunkle Stan tells them from the driver's seat. "We've still got five hours left till we get to the campsite we're staying at."

Dipper groans at the same time that Mabel smiles excitedly.

She holds up a bag and grins. "I brought board games!"

Later . . .

"Alright, we're here!" Stan drives the RV into a parking lot and proceeds to take up 3 spots. "Everybody out. We're going to our campsite, but before that, I wanted to fit in at least one fun activity!"

Dipper squints at a sign that is hanging on one nail. "The Stone Garden: A place of beauty and mystery. Grunkle Stan! Is this a tourist trap?"

Stan shrugs. "Old habits die hard."

"Wow!" Mabel looks inside the gated area containing the attraction. "You guys have got to check this out! This is incredicble!" Standing in the clearing are hundreds of stone figures with incredible detail.

"It is, isn't it?" A man steps out from the ticket booth located on the right side of the clearing. He looks to be around forty and is wearing a dark blue suit. "It's the one of the largest collections of stone figures in the world! My name is Arthur by the way, owner and only employee of this amazing place! What brings you here?"

"We're on a road trip!" Mabel says.

"Well I'm glad you decided to make a stop here!" Arthur gestures at the garden. "Just because I like you folks, I'll let you in for free! You've got the place to yourselves, so enjoy!" Everyone spreads out to admire the statues.

"Wow, the detail is amazing!" Dipper says, tracing to face of a young child with his finger. "Who makes them?"

Arthur smiles. "Our artist is amazingly talented, but a bit of a recluse. He lives in that cave up there." He points to a point about a mile up the mountain.

"You're not kidding with this recluse stuff, are you?" Dipper says. "To live in a cave on a mountain?"

Arthur smiles again, something he seems to do a lot of. "I assure you, he is very comfortable. I could introduce you to him if you wanted. He doesn't usually take visitors, but I'm sure he'd be fine with it this one time."

Ford walks up to Dipper. "I would very much like to meet this artist. His statues are amazing! I must know how he got to this level of detail!"

"Excellent!" Arthur grins at Ford. "You can bring your group if you want."

"Sounds cool." Wendy strolls over. "I'm in."

"Yay!" Mabel jumps in the air. "A chance to meet a fellow artist!"

"Soos, Grunkle Stan, you coming?" Dipper asks.

"Naw." Grunkle Stan shoos them with his hands. "I've got some things to fix on the RV."

"And where Mr. Pines goes, I go." Soos salutes them.

"Alright then, right this way." Arthur leads them up a stone path to the cave. The stones are cracked and covered with weeds. As the trail goes up further, the vegetation gets thicker. Stone statues also line the trail.

"Wow, he really does make a lot of these things." Ford inspects a tourist holding up a camera. "Why is he screaming?"

"I'm afraid that the works our artist creates don't always turn out the way he wants them. These are the ones that we do not desire to put on showcase." As they walk further up the path, the statues get creepier. One statue seems to be trying to run away, another one is on the ground, like it is crawling.

"Man, I can see why you don't want some of these on display." Wendy whistles. "These things are creepy."

"Can we stop to take a breather?" Dipper wheezes. "I'm just a little winded."

"I told you to join a sports team!" Mabel tells him. "Mabel, my investigations will keep me active enough," she says, imitating his voice. "That, that's what you sound like."

Dipper catches his breath and looks up. "I'm good now." In another couple hundred feet, they reach the entrance to the cave.

"We're here!" Arthur announces.

Dipper and Mabel step into the cave, followed by Wendy.

"You know, I'm not feeling too good." Ford says. "Maybe we should head back down."

Arthur's smile turns into a grimace. "Oh, it's too late for that." He shoves Ford into the cave, then takes a boulder, and with inhuman strength, places it in front of the cave entrance.

Mabel, Dipper, Ford, and Wendy watch with horror as the last light of day disappears and they are sealed off from the outside world.


	3. You're Hisssssstory

"No!" Dipper pushes himself up against the boulder and desperately tries to move it aside, to no avail.

"I should have seen this coming" Ford mutters to himself. "Statues just a little too realistic, expressions of fear, a recluse artist."

"What is it Grunkle Ford?" Mabel asks him. Ford takes off his jacket and separates it into strips with his pocket knife.

He hands one to everybody. "Tie these around your heads and put them over your eyes."

"Why? What's the matter?" Mabel is worried now.

"You're worrying me old dude." Wendy tells him.

"I believe the artist is a beast from ancient mythology. They're usually able to kill with a glance, but this one must be an adolescent, so its glance is less powerful."

"What are you talking about?" Dipper is looking around nervously.

"Put your blindfold on!" Ford hisses at Dipper.

Suddenly, a rattling sound echoes off the cave walls.

Ford's voice becomes panicked. "Everyone, put your back against the wall and get behind me. Now! And whatever you do, don't take your blindfolds off."

The rattling sound gets closer, now accompanied by a low, menacing hiss.

"What's going on Grunkle Ford?" Dipper has an iron grip on Ford's arm. It gets tighter and tighter as the rattling and hissing comes closer. But just as it sounds like the beast is right next to them, the rattling breaks off, and the hissing fades away.

"I think it's gone" Mabel says, her voice trembling. Everybody relaxes, and Ford lets out a long sigh of relief.

"Uh, I think it's actually still here!" Dipper whispers.

"And how would you know that, Dipper?" Mabel asks him.

"Because it's licking me." Dipper sounds like he's about to cry.

"Oh." Mabel says. "That is a very convincing reason."

"Dipper, stay completely still." Ford tells him. "I am going to distract it."

"What's in here with us?" Wendy still sounds cool, calm and collected, even now.

"Anybody have a fear of snakes?" Ford asks.

"Yeah." Dipper says. "Really bad."

"Then it's good you can't see the basilisk."

"That's what this is?!" Dipper hisses. "I was traumatized for months after seeing the one in Round Glasses Scar Boy 2!"

"It's true." Mabel testifies. "He wouldn't go near anything that involved plumbing."

"Dipper, I am going to distract the Basilisk. When I do, I want you to calmly drop to the ground and roll to your right. Ready?" Dipper nods his consent. "Three, two, one . . ." But Ford's plan is not put into action, because right then the stone rolls back from the cave entrance, causing everyone to fall onto their backs, and the Basilisk to hiss and rear its head back and close its eyes. It retreats back into its cave, screeching. This is lucky for Grunkle Stan, who is looking right at it. Luckily, his attention is drawn away from the snake by his family (and Wendy).

"Everybody okay?" Stan asks. Ford takes off his blindfold and stares at his brother with disbelief.

"Stanley? What are you doing here?"

Stan rubs the back of his head. "I didn't trust that guy one bit. I mean seriously, he was taking you to an isolated cave at the top of a mountain and you weren't suspicious?" Dipper and Mabel nod at each other, now realizing how stupid they were to trust Arthur. "So I followed you guys up here. I saw Smiley here trap you in that cave and immediately gave him a knock on the head." Stan gestures to Arthur lying a few feet away, a large bruise beginning to form on his head. "Then I took that branch over there." at this he points to a thick rod of wood next to the cave entrance. "I stuck it under the rock and used the leverage to roll the rock out of the way."

Ford nods. "Impressive. And we can talk about your newfound knowledge of physics later. But we have got to leave now. The Basilisk was only momentarily stunned by the sun. It will return."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Dipper cries out. "Let's go!" His comment is punctuated by a menacing shape rising behind him. The Basilisk glares at them, and everybody looks away.

"Run!" Mabel shouts, and sprints off. Everyone takes off after her, Dipper first and foremost. His terror of snakes propels him with speed he's never known before. The Basilisk slithers after them, knocking over the stone statues, and even trees.

"We can't outrun it!" Wendy says. "So let's give it some obstacles." She veers off the trail and into the forest. Dipper, Mabel, Stan, and Ford all follow her. They weave through the trees, avoiding bushes and jumping over creeks. Or if they're too big, just running through them.

The Basilisk tries to follow them, but its huge body can't maneuver around the trees, so it has to knock them down, slowing it down considerably. It hisses angrily and coils its body up, then expands and jumps an amazing distance. It lands hard next to Stan, who increases his pace as the beast snaps trees in its pursuit of prey.

"Don't look it in the eye Grunkle Stan!" Mabel shouts at him. As they continue to race down the side of the mountain, the garden comes into view, and with it, Soos leaning on the RV.

"Soos!" Dipper shouts. "Start the RV!"

"What?!" Soos shouts back at him.

"Start the RV!" Dipper screams as loud as he can.

"Oh dude, there's a giant snake chasing you guys!" Soos stares in shock at the Basilisk. "I better start the RV!" Soos jumps in and pushes the key into the ignition. He twists it, and the RV lets out a cough before rumbling steadily.

Dipper reaches the RV first, and he throws open the door and barrels into it. Ford, Mabel, Stan, and Wendy clamber in after him, and Soos throws the RV into drive and shoots out of the parking lot.

The Basilisk, now on open road, moves after them with astounding speed, beginning to gain on them.

"What is that dudes?" Soos asks everyone in the exhausted pile in the backseat.

"That." Dipper pants. "Is a Basilisk."

"And how do we beat it?" Soos asks.

Everyone looks at Ford. He shrugs. "I've heard of the Basilisk before, but I never really paid attention to it. Closest I've come to seeing something with proportionate powers is the hour I spent at Gorgana 3. The inhabitants are a race of snake women who turn people to stone with a glance. The only way to defeat them was to look at them in a mirror, as they could only affect you with a direct stare. But the Basilisk's eyes still have the same power, even if you look at them through a mirror."

Mabel looks at Ford. "That's it!"

Ford frowns. "What's it?"

"That's how we'll defeat the Basilisk! Dipper, can you get my mirror?"

Dipper looks confused. "What?"

Mabel gives him a death glare.

"Okay, okay. The unicorn one, or the mermaid one?"

Mabel considers. "Whichever one's bigger." Dipper stands up and races over to the closet. He opens the door and victoriously pulls out a mirror with a handle designed to look like a unicorn horn that is about the size of a cutting board.

"Will this one work?" Dipper asks. Mabel nods.

She motions for everyone to come in closer and begins to explain her plan. "Alright, this is what we're goi-AHHH!" She is interrupted by the RV tipping sideways and rolling off the freeway. The Basilisk has caught up to them.

"Hold on!" Ford shouts.

Everyone grabs on to part of the table as they are thrown around. Wendy gets hit in the side of the head with a flying picture frame and is knocked out.

"Wendy!" Dipper yells. The RV stops rolling and tips back to a normal position with the wheels on the ground and the roof facing up. Dipper rushes over to Wendy and begins to treat her wound with the first aid kit that is secured to the bottom of the table. Ford and Stan lie groaning on the ground, having knocked their heads together.

Soos bends over and throws up. "Dude that was like every roller coaster ever, thrown into one!"

Mabel unsteadily rises to her feet and stumbles out of the RV. She raises her head a little bit and sees the Basilisk's bottom half slide towards the RV. Mabel walks towards it and raises the mirror.

The Basilisk looks at her in surprise, probably thinking, _why is this weak human trying to challenge me with a sparkly rectangle? Silly human! I will eat it now._

"You're a mean, grey, non-sparkly, stupid butt face!" Mabel shouts at the Basilisk. She raises the mirror right as the Basilisk glares at her.

The Basilisk stares in the mirror, feeling the transfixing effects of its eyes.

Mabel closes her eyes as she hears a crackling sound accompanied by a screeching, hissing sound that slowly fades into silence. She opens her eyes and sees the Basilisk completely turned to stone, just inches away from her face, its mouth wide open. In the end, the only thing that could destroy it was itself.

Mabel leaps in the air. "Yay!"

Ford mumbles in his unconscious state. "Mabel, don't worry, I'll save you."

"Don't worry Grunkle Ford." Mabel says happily. "This time, I saved you!"


	4. Conversation

**Here's the next chapter! I spent the last week just kind of thinking of ideas for the next couple chapters. I think I have a pretty good outline of what to do next, and I'm excited to see where it goes! Thanks for the comments!**

"Okay, while the RV is getting fixed up, I say we get some food." Grunkle Stan walks away from the auto shop that is in the act of repairing their heavily damaged vehicle.

"That Basilisk really did a number on it." Wendy peers at the RV as the door to the garage closes.

"And to us." Dipper laughs as they begin to walk around the town where they'll be staying the night. His comment rings very true. Stan and Ford both received minor concussions, Wendy has a bandage wrapped around her head, Mabel has a gash running up her leg, and Dipper has a black eye. Soos was the only one to come out unscathed, but he still felt the effects. He is resting back in their room, after throwing up for hours. Apparently he has terrible motion sickness.

"Where do we want to eat?" Ford tries to lighten the mood as everyone gloomily inspects their wounds. "There's a diner over there. Maybe a taste of home will do us all a little good." At the mention of a Diner, which means thick pancakes, greasy bacon and fluffy eggs, everybody perks up a little bit.

"And well we're there Grunkle Ford, I have something to show you!" Mabel looks at Ford excitedly.

"If it has anything to do with gummy worms, then I want no part in it Mabel." Ford looks a little scared.

"Don't worry!" Mabel smiles happily. "I think you're going to be really interested in this!"

"Alright." Ford sighs.

"So Grunkle Ford, after the RV is all fixed up, where are we going next?" Dipper asks Ford.

"We're going to Nevada!" Ford says. Stan looks at him and smiles.

"I forgot about that part." Stan smiles larger. "NOT!" He grins and turns to Dipper and Mabel. "I've rented us three nights at a hotel in Los Vegas!" The kids shout happily and high five.

"I'll get to go around the world. In one city!" Dipper says excitedly. "There's so many cultures to explore!"

"And I'll get to gamble!" Mabel rubs her hands together. "I've been saving Dipper and my money for years, just for an opportunity like this!"

Dipper looks at her curiously. "So that's where my allowance money was going all these years. And I thought it was living shadow. Those probably don't even exist!"

"Actually, they do." Ford corrects Dipper. "All shadows are alive."

"Wait, seriously?" Wendy asks. "So technically I've had someone following me for years?"

"Well, that's one way to think of it." Ford looks at Wendy, confused. "But only a few manage to become alive in the sense we think of it. To do so, they must detach from the body that is casting them and absorb it into them."

"Okay Poindexter, lets raise the positive vibe here." Grunkle Stan says. "Of course we can go gambling Mabel! What kind of a great uncle do you think I am?"

"Yes!" Mabel cheers.

"Stanley, I will not let you take a thirteen year old girl gambling. You're lucky that Las Vegas is a weirdness hot spot." Ford says sternly.

"I could have told you that without a map." Stan laughs and pats Ford on the back, maybe a little too hard, as Ford goes stumbling forward. Their conversation has taken them to the Diner, and Ford holds the door open, tinkling the bell hanging above it, and letting everyone else enter. They all sit down at a booth table, and a waitress comes by.

"Hi there! What can I get you?" She pulls out a notepad and a pen and looks up expectantly.

Stan smiles at her. "Can we get ten pancakes?"

The waitress blinks and looks at Stan, confused. "Ten?"

"Yup."

The waitress scribbles on her notepad and walks away.

"Oh, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel takes off the backpack she has had on the entire day. "Here's what I wanted to show you!" She puts the backpack on her lap and unzips it. "I've had this ever since we left Gravity Falls!" She pulls out an object that radiates an intense glow, causing everyone to wince and avert their eyes. Ford pushes up his glasses and rubs his eyes, and as the glow dies down, peers closely at the object.

Ford pulls his head back and looks at Mabel. "Mabel. Is that an egg?"


	5. What's Inside?

"Oh yeah." Mabel smiles. "I thought it was a bomb."

Dipper looks at Mabel. "You thought it was a bomb, and you just left in a backpack?!"

Mabel laughs. "Don't worry Dipper! I put a few blankets in with it."

"Those are highly flammable!" Dipper sputters. "You could have killed all of us!"

"But I didn't! Stop being so serious!"

"Chill dude." Wendy says. "No one's dead." Dipper pouts and slumps in his seat.

Ford looks closely at the egg. It emits a steady glow and changes colors, going from a bright red to a deep blue. He touches it and recoils his hand. "It's burning hot! Mabel, how are you holding that?"

Mabel shrugs. "It feels normal to me."

Ford turns to Mabel. "Can I run a test?"

"Sure." Mabel places the egg on the counter. Ford picks up a knife from the table and raises it into the air. Mabel leaps forward. "Grunkle Ford, no!"

Stan grabs his arm. "I'm not the biggest animal rights activist, but I wouldn't stab an unidentified magical object."

"Trust me." Ford looks at Stan, who looks away.

"Fine."

Ford brings the knife down towards the egg and stabs it with all his might. The knife stops the instant it touches the egg and shatters. Ford grins. "Just what I thought. Incredibly hard outer shell."

"What was that supposed to prove?" Mabel grabs the egg and pulls it towards her.

"I'm sorry Mabel, but I had a hunch, and that proved it." Ford looks excited. "That is a dragon egg." Dipper gasps and turns his head towards the egg.

"Seriously?"

"Yes seriously." Ford grins. "This is amazing! I've only ever heard talk of dragons! Where did you get this Mabel?"

Mabel looks down at the egg, amazed. "I was taking one last stroll through the forest before we left, and as I was heading back to the Shack, Celestabellebethabelle cantered on up to me and gave me this. She said 'I can't see your heart, but even I know it's pure'. But I was really angry, so I punched her. It was a really good outlet for my rage."

"They gave you a gift?" Wendy laughs. "The only thing they gave me was a black eye."

"Hmmmm." Ford rubs his chin. "The Unicorns must have somehow come into possession of the egg. They must have given it to you because they were too lazy to raise the dragon."

"Well what are we going to do with it?" Dipper asks. "It's a dragon, one of the most legendary mythical creatures of all time!"

Ford shakes his head. "I don't know."

"Well, I know a guy who can get anything over any border. Just in case." Grunkle Stan says, trying to be helpful.

Mabel looks exasperated. "Guys, the answer is obvious. I'll raise the dragon!"

"Mabel, I don't know if that's a good idea." Ford says, staring with concern at the egg. "I think something this important should probably be handled by a professional."

"That's where you're wrong Grunkle Ford! You think this living thing is something to be handled. It's not! It's something to be loved, and cared for, by someone with experience. And that's me! All animals love me! The gnomes tried to make me their queen! And the unicorns specifically gave it to me!"

"Did you miss the part when Ford said that they probably gave it to you because they were too lazy to raise it?" Dipper asks.

Mabel gives Dipper a death glare. "So you're on Ford's side?"

"No, I'm just saying that dragons are also some of the most dangerous creatures ever." Dipper says nervously, glancing between Mabel and Ford.

Mabel throws her hands in the air (the egg having been placed on the table). "We fought an interdimensional demon! We saved the world! How is this more dangerous than that?!"

"Calm down Mabel, we're just stating logical facts." Ford motions at Mabel to calm down.

"Maybe you need to stop being logical and start being lovical!"

"That's not a word." Dipper mutters.

Mabel looks at Dipper and Ford, exasperated. "That's it! I'm going back to the room! Soos throwing up is better than you guys." Suddenly, the temperature in the room drops dramatically, and all of the lights shatter, scattering glass shards and giving everyone cuts. Mabel's face slackens and slowly darkens, until it seems to be composed entirely of darkness. The darkness spreads to the rest of her body, until she is just writhing, inky tendrils.

"What's happening?!" Dipper looks at Ford, panicked.

"Remember that conversation about living shadows?" Ford asks him. Dipper nods. "Here's an example."

"How did her shadow get so strong?" Stan stares at Mabel.

Ford ponders for a second, then looks up. "If Mabel has been carrying that egg around for months, then the shadow must have been siphoning magical energy out of it since she got it. We have a couple hours until it absorbs the full magic energy of the egg, killing Mabel and the unborn dragon."

Darkness pours out of Mabel and gathers into a dark pool. She levitates toward it and sinks into it. The moment she disappears, the temperature rises and the darkness dissipates.

"We've got to save Mabel!" Dipper says, petrified.

"First we've got to find where she is." Stan says. "Any ideas Poindexter?"

Ford shrugs. "I've never encountered a situation like this before. I'm not sure what to do."

Wendy peers outside. "Well dudes, we better do it quickly." She points and everyone's gaze follows her finger. Ford gasps and runs outside.

"Oh my." Ford says. Mabel floats above the town, and feeds darkness into tendrils that form a giant dome above the town. "I'm guessing that after the shadow absorbs the energy of the egg, it with absorb our energy."

Grunkle Stan looks at Mabel. "Well at least we know where Mabel is."


	6. Run

**Thank you so much to Sixer618! Your ideas were awesome! Every comment that you guys leave make me super happy and are really encouraging! I've been thinking about doing a story about some kind of school related adventure, so if that seems cool, I'm always happy for input! That was a lot of exclamation points.**

"What are we going to do? Dipper asks as the dome is completed. He looks up as Mabel, if you can even call her that anymore, takes the egg out of her backpack and raises it into the air, where it is held aloft by the darkness. Mabel raises her hand towards the egg, and darkness flows out from her hand, and spears the egg. But the darkness is stopped a couple centimeters before the egg by a magical barrier that suddenly appears around the egg, looking like thousands of interlocked gemstones. Mabel frowns and tries again, sending even more darkness towards the egg. But it is repelled, once again, by the barrier.

"The dragon's magical energy is instinctively protecting the egg." Ford marvels at the barrier.

"Come on Poindexter, this is no time to collect research. That shield just gave us some extra time to come up with a way to save Mable." Stan grabs Ford and Dipper's arms and drags them behind a dumpster. Wendy follows them.

"Is there anything you know that can dispel a living shadow?" Dipper asks Ford.

Ford shakes his head. "I only knew of them from scattered reports and sightings. I have no idea what its weaknesses are."

"Well, light makes darkness go away, right?" Everyone's attention is drawn to Wendy as she states her idea. "So why don't we just use light to get close enough to Mabel to get that egg away from her?"

"Then what?" Dipper inquires.

"I don't know, but it's better than sitting around doing nothing. That barrier isn't going to hold forever."

Ford nods. "It's the best chance we have. But where are we going to get lights?"

"We can use the fluorescent lights from back at the room." Dipper suggests.

"But how would we power them?" Ford asks.

Stan raises a tentative hand. "I have some illegal batteries that could power a whole town if we needed them to."

Ford smacks his face with the palm of his hand. "Of course you do." He crawls to the corner of the dumpster and peers around it. "Now is the perfect time to get to the room. While all of its attention is focused on the egg."

Wendy smiles. "Let's do this." She stands up and vaults over the dumpster, then sprints to the diner, where she takes cover in the alleyway beside it,

Ford stands up. "I suggest we follow her." He, Stan and Dipper go around the dumpster and all charge to the alley. They all press their backs to the wall and catch their breath.

Wendy laughs. "You guys should exercise a little more." She peeks out the alleyway and holds up her right hand. "When I say go, sprint to the motel and don't stop till you get there. Ready?" They nod. "Three. Two. One. GO!" She stands up and bolts towards their motel, and Dipper, Stan and Ford race after her, startled by her quick start.

They all make it safely to the motel, and rush to their room. Ford pulls out their key, and unlocks the door. He takes the knob and twists, pushing the door open, causing obnoxious screeching noises from the hinges. They all step inside, to Soos lying on the bed with a metal bowl on his lap, watching cartoons.

He chuckles. "Oh man, that monkey is in like, five different pieces!"

"Soos!" Dipper runs up to him.

"Hey dude, what's up?"

"Long story. We need these lights!"

Soos looks up. "Cool dude. My screwdriver is in the bathroom."

Dipper looks confused. "Okay. Thanks. Not even going to ask." He rushes to the bathroom and grabs the screwdriver, then runs back into the bedroom.

Ford grabs it and climbs onto the bed that Soos is not laying in. He unscrews the first light and grabs a blanket to cover it so he doesn't burn his hand. He gives it to Stan, who grabs it with another blanket and lies it on the floor. They continue to do this until they have four florescent lights on the floor. Ford looks at Stan. "Can you get your batteries?"

Stan nods. "But if I'm going out there, I want Little Miss Athletic here with me."

Wendy shrugs. "The RV is only a couple meters away, but okay." They head out the door and towards the RV.

Ford turns to Dipper. "I want you to get Soos's saw and cut the legs off of that chair." He points to one in the kitchen.

"Got it."

Soos looks around. "I'm confused. What's going on?"

Ford waves a hand at him. "You're still sick. Just keep watching your show."

Dipper comes back with four pieces of wood each about 16 centimeters long. At the same time, someone knocks on the door, and Ford walks over to the window, then unlocks the door. Stan and Wendy come, each clutching two batteries.

"Alright Ford." Stan places his batteries next to the lights. "What's your plan?"

Ford pulls duct tape and wires out of his jacket and gets to work. He takes the end of a light and a battery and connects them with wire. The light begins to shine, and he tapes one of the chair legs to the light, then tapes the battery to the leg.

Dipper gasps. "It's like a light sword from Space Battles with Star Knights!"

Ford smiles. "I guess it is." He finishes the other three, and hand them out to everyone. Ford looks around. "Ready?" They all nod.

With swords in hand, they open the door and step into the darkness.


	7. Sabers of Light!

**Sorry for the wait! I injured my wrist, so I actually had to write this one handed, and I've been working on another story. But I'm here to see this one to the end, and hopefully you are too! Also, I am so grateful for all the comments. A special thank you to YrooXrksvi618 for all the story ideas!**

Immediately, Dipper is attacked by tendrils of darkness, wrapping around his leg and pulling him off balance. Wendy lunges forward and swings her saber at them. The instant the saber makes contact with any of the tendrils they dissipate with a screeching sound.

"I guess they work!" Dipper says, then frowns." "Those tendrils were freezing cold." He rubs his ankle.

Fords sets his mouth in a grim line. "Mabel is at the center of the town. Let's go get her back." He sets off at a brisk pace and Dipper, Stan and Wendy follow close behind.

Stan looks around. "Shouldn't there be more of that freezing darkness or something?"

"Stanley is right." Ford says. "We're getting closer to the center of the town. Shadow Mabel must have broken past the egg's shield. We have fifteen minutes at most."

Wendy speeds up. "Then let's go." They speed through the town, occasionally passing townspeople hiding in their homes and stores. As they grow closer to Shadow Mabel's location, everyone begins to feel a pull.

"Can you all feel that?" Ford asks. It appears Mabel's absorption of energy has escalated, causing her to act as a sort of black hole.

"A black hole!" Dipper blanches. "Aren't those dangerous?!"

"Don't worry, it's a very minor one." Ford says.

"There is no such thing as a minor black hole!" Dipper hyperventilates.

"Chill dude." Wendy says. "Chill."

Dipper nods. "I'm good."

Stan points at the sky. "Is that Mabel?" They follow the line of his finger and spot a figure of pure black. Mabel looked as if someone had just cut a human sized shape out of reality. Hovering in front of her, the dragon egg fizzes as if it is a dysfunctional firework. Shadow Mabel absorbs the sparks and in doing so, causes even more waves of darkness to pool out form her.

"How are we going to get to Mabel?" Dipper asks. He stabs at some darkness that was inching up on him, and it hisses and disappears.

First things first." Ford says. "We have to clear the area around her."

Wendy smiles. "Let's do it!" She charges at the wave of darkness and begins to whirl around, cutting down all of the tendrils that get near her. Stan follows after her and begins to cut a path through the shadows, moving towards Mabel.

Ford follows, and Dipper close behind. They all fall into a monotonous rhythm of cutting and stabbing, trying desperately to get close to Mabel. But for every shadow they vanquish, a new swath of darkness pops up. And Mabel continues to feed on the energy of the egg, sending out more and more darkness.

"We need a plan!" Dipper shouts.

"I know!" Ford tells him. "Stanley!"

"Yeah?" Stan looks over.

"How temperamental would you say these batteries are?"

Stan smiles. "Extremely. These babies are illegal everywhere!"

Ford grins. "So if one was to be connected to say, an explosive device, would the blast be effective?"

Stan lunges backwards and swings his saber in front of him just in time to avoid being absorbed by a shadow. "Catastrophic."

"Wendy!"

Wendy runs over. "Yeah?"

Ford yanks his battery off of his saber and hands it to her. "Are you accurate at throwing things?"

"Gravity Falls axe throwing champion since I was seven." Wendy says smugly.

Ford takes a metal cylinder out of his backpack and begins to tap on the number pad attached to it. He duct tapes it to the battery and hands it to Wendy. "Can you throw this at Mabel?"

Wendy looks questioningly at him. "Sure."

"Trust me."

Wendy brings her arm back and winds it forward with astounding force, and the battery goes sailing on the perfect direction towards Mabel. Just as it is about to hit her, it explodes and sends shockwaves of force so powerful that they are knocked off their feet. But Shadow Mabel just absorbs the explosion into her black hole and continues to feed off of the dragon egg. But she raises a hand and darkness pounds toward the group and rips the sabers out of their hands. They are thrown backwards and pinned to the rough ground by writhing, roiling darkness.

"NO!" Dipper shouts, his lips already turning blue.

As Mabel continues to feed on the egg, it begins to crack, exposing a brilliant light.

Ford's stares fearfully at the scene. "Mabel has cracked the outer shell. She'll feed on the remaining magic energy, then devour the entire town. We're all going to die."


	8. The Light It burns!

Everyone stares on in horror as the shell of the dragon egg slowly crumbles away and a brilliant, blinding light erupts from it. Shadow Mabel recoils from the sudden light.

Dipper looks over at Ford. "Where is that light coming from?"

"I don't know." Ford says. "I've never heard of any dragon that can emit light."

The light seems to burn away the shadow's very essence. The shadow writhes, making an unearthly screeching sound. It tries to push the egg away, but the egg sticks to the shadow's hand like glue. Flecks of the shadow detach themselves from Mabel and spiral into the egg. The shadow grows a comet's tail that points toward the egg, and it begins to grow larger. Slowly but surely, the egg absorbs the shadow, and all the shadows around it. As the shadow is absorbed, Mabel becomes clearer and clearer. As the last of the shadow is absorbed, she drops to the ground and lands in a dumpster, the same one that Dipper, Wendy, Ford, and Stan were using as cover.

As all of the shadow residue disappears from the town, and the dome vanishes, a beam of light erupts from the egg and a majestic dragon flies out. It's the size of a puppy, and its scales swirl and change color, giving it a hypnotizing effect. Its wing are iridescent, sparkling and beating to keep it aloft. The dragon's head, however, is the most magnificent thing about it. Playful eyes composed of every color stare out at the world, as if daring it to challenge the tiny beast. A mouth large enough devour a squirrel is filled with menacing, sharp teeth, and above it, two tiny slits for a nose. And in the middle of its forehead, a beautiful pearly horn that makes everything around it more vibrant. It is swirled with an intricate patterns and emanates happiness, making everyone feel feelings of pure joy.

Dipper stares incredulously at the dragon. "Is that a unicorn dragon?"

"Fascinating!" Ford smiles giddily. "It seems that when the unicorns had the egg, their magical energy melded with that of the dragon and created a hybrid species!"

Dipper stares upwards at the dragon, but then remembers his twin sister. "MABEL!" He runs over to the dumpster.

Mabel groans and slowly opens her eyes. "Dipper? What happened?" She shudders. "It was like I was plunged into the deep end of the pool. But the water was freezing cold. And I couldn't swim. And Mermondo couldn't save me. And I wasn't wearing any floating swim gear. And-"

"Mabel. You're safe." Dipper hugs Mabel.

The dragon flies down to Mabel, looks at Dipper, then circles a few times and settles on Mabel's lap.

Mabel grins. "It loves me!"

Ford walks up to Mabel and Dipper and gawks. "How could it have imprinted on you already?"

Mabel smiles smugly. "I guess you have to let me take care of him now."

Ford sighs. "Fine. But you will have to let me help you. You have no idea how to take care of a dragon."

Mabel laughs and scratches the dragon under the chin, making it purr with affection. "I'll have to introduce you to Waddles when we get home!"

Dipper shakes his head deliriously. "Great. Another pet to explain to mom and dad."

Stan and Wendy walk over to them, having disconnected all of the sabers. "There was a high chance that the batteries would have exploded if they had been powering the lights anymore." Ford explained.

"Well." Stan sighs in satisfaction. "That went pretty well. Now let's get to Vegas!"


End file.
